Pneumatic assisted exercise bench

ABSTRACT

The present invention includes a bench mounted to a base frame. A foot truck is slidably mounted to the bench to secure the feet of the user. A tiltable upper body support is mounted to the base. A first belt is provided for securing the legs of a user to the bench. A second belt is provided for securing the pelvic area of the user to the base. A third belt is connected to a support slidably mounted to the upper body support for mounting in a vertical direction. The third belt is used to secure the user to the upper body support. A first pneumatic cylinder is provided for extending the foot track to a selected forward position. A second pneumatic cylinder is provided for tilting the upper body support to a selected tilt position. A third pneumatic cylinder is provided for forcing a pelvic pad toward the lower back area of a user. A fourth pneumatic cylinder is provided for forcing a seat pad against the user at a selected position adjacent the upper back or neck of a user.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to pneumatic assisted exercise bench that can be used to flex certain portions of a person's body to strengthen the person's back, spine, legs, and posture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0003]FIG. 1 is a left side perspective view of the pneumatic assisted exercise bench of the present invention;

[0004]FIG. 2 is a right side perspective view of the pneumatic assisted exercise bench shown in FIG. 1;

[0005]FIG. 3 is a left side perspective view of the pneumatic assisted exercise bench with a person using the bench;

[0006]FIG. 4 is a right side perspective photograph of a normally stable base shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0007]FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a seat and bar shown in FIG. 4;

[0008]FIG. 6 is a bottom photograph of a T-base shown in FIG. 4;

[0009]FIG. 7 is a right side perspective photograph of a tilting mechanism and control panel shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0010]FIG. 8 is a photograph of a control panel shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0011]FIG. 9 is a front photograph of the pneumatic assisted exercise bench shown in FIG. 1; and

[0012]FIG. 10 is a left side photograph of a person strapped to the pneumatic assisted exercise bench using an upper chest belt.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0013] A pneumatic assisted exercise bench 10 is shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. Because the photographs were taken of different embodiments of different engineering models, there is not complete correlation between the Figs., but the slight differences between the Figs. and the preferred embodiment will be pointed out in the text. The rear of bench 10 is at the right of FIG. 1; the front of the bench is at the left of FIG. 1. Normally bench 10 rests on a horizontal floor as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. As shown in FIG. 1, a pneumatic assisted exercise bench 10 of the present invention has three major subassemblies: a normally stable base 12, a tilting portion 14, and a control panel 16.

[0014] The normally stable base 12 is shown by itself in FIG. 4. Normally stable base 12 has an adjustable bar 18 which can be locked at a desired distance by knob 20 shown in FIG. 2. At the front end of bar 18, a T-base 22 has an adjustable riser 24 that can be raised and lowered, and then locked into place by knob 26 shown in FIG. 1. (There is a slight difference in this riser between FIGS. 1 and 4 with FIG. 4 showing the preferred embodiment.) T-base 22 has the vertical portion of the T-base extending away from the floor as shown in FIG. 1, and the crossed portion of the T-base resting on the floor to stabilize bench 10.

[0015] At the rear end of adjustable bar 18, another T-base 28, larger than T-base 22, is fixedly connected to the adjustable bar. On the top side of adjustable bar 18, a brace 30 is fixedly connected between T-base 28 and adjustment bar 18 as shown in FIG. 1. On the opposite side of T-base 28 from brace 30 (in a horizontal direction), wheels 32 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 6) are fixedly connected to T-base 28 so as to provide mobility to bench 10 when the bench is rotated over the wheels to be moved. Again the crossed bar portion of T-base 28 rests on the floor for stability, while the vertical portion extends away from the floor.

[0016] At an opposite end of T-base 28 from wheels 32 (this is in the vertical direction), a rectangular frame 34 is fixedly connected to the vertical portion of T-base 28 as best seen in FIG. 4. On both opposite, shorter sides of rectangular frame 34, seat belt brackets 36 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6) extend forward. Also, axle mounting brackets 38 are positioned inside of the vertical portion of T-base 28 as shown in FIG. 6, so as to also extend forward toward the opposite end of adjustable bar 18. In the interior of the vertical portion of T-base 28, a pair of accumulator bottles 40 are secured within the interior. Bottles 40 permit pneumatic pressure to be stored in the bottles for subsequent use in the system.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 4, a bar 42 at one end is pivotally connected to adjustable riser 24 and at the other end is pivotally connected to axle mounting brackets 38 by means of axle 44 (shown in FIG. 5). Seat 46 is fixedly connected to the top of bar 42 (the side away from the floor) adjacent an end holding axle 44. Adjacent the opposite end of bar 42, a foot truck 48 rolls along the top side of the bar (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) but the foot truck also has an underside portion rolling beneath the bar. As shown in FIG. 5 beneath bar 42 (the side closest to the floor), a foot pressure cylinder 50, which in the preferred embodiment is a single-acting pneumatic cylinder, is connected to axle 44 at one end and to the underside portion of foot truck 48 at the other end. Pressure is introduced to foot pressure cylinder 50 at an end adjacent to foot truck 48. Knee belt tie-down brackets 52 are fixedly mounted on opposite sides of seat 46 so as to extend outward from the seat.

[0018] Tilting mechanism 14, a major subassembly of the invention, is pivotally mounted to rectangular frame 34 by axles 62 a and 62 b as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Along one side, tilting mechanism 14 has tilting cylinder 64 connected between leverage arm 66 at one end, and to T-base 28 at the other end as shown in FIG. 2. The length of leverage arm 66 can be changed by loosening knob 68, adjusting the length of the leverage arm, and then retightened knob 68.

[0019] Cross-member 70, of tilting mechanism 14, extends across the top of rectangular frame 34 as shown in FIG. 1. One end of a pair of parallel rods 72 are fixedly connected to cross-member 70 in a vertical direction so as to extend outward above the cross-member as shown in FIG. 7. An adjustable slider 74 can be moved along parallel rods 72 by loosening handle 76 (as shown in FIG. 10), adjusting the position of slider 74, and then retightening handle 76. In a horizontal direction, fixed brackets 77 extend from opposite sides of adjustable slider 74, as shown in FIG. 7, so that a belt can be used with this slider. (Brackets 77 are also slightly different between the Figs. with the brackets shown in FIG. 7 being the preferred embodiment.)

[0020] Cervical slider 78 is also mounted on parallel rods 72 on an opposite side of adjustable slider 76 from cross-member 70. Handle 80 (seen in FIG. 10) is used to lock cervical slider 78 in position on parallel rods 72. On the opposite side of cervical slider 78 from handle 80 (generally in a horizontal position), head rest 82 rests against a person's head as shown in FIG. 10. An upper horizontal cylinder 84, which again is a single-acting cylinder fixedly connected to cervical slider 78 at one end, has a shaft 86 connected to head rest 82. As pressure is introduced into upper horizontal cylinder 84 at the end furthest removed from parallel rods 62, shaft 86 extends toward the opposite end of the cylinder pressing a person's head forward away from parallel rods 72.

[0021] A lower horizontal cylinder 88, which also is single-acting, is fixedly connected to rectangular frame 34 with pressure again introduced at an end furthest removed from parallel rods 72. At the opposite end, horizontal cylinder has a shaft 90 (not shown) moving into and out of cylinder 88. A pelvic pad 92 extends in front of, and across, rectangular frame 34 as shown in FIG. 1. Shaft 90 is fixedly connected to pelvic pad 92 so that the pelvic pad can be pressed under pressure toward the front of bench 10 which is away from rectangular frame 34.

[0022] Control panel 16 (also a major subassembly of the invention) has 3 sections with a pressure gauge and a valve in each section as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Control panel 16 is mounted to bar 42 using control panel mounting hardware 94 as shown in FIG. 7. (There is a slight difference between FIGS. 1 and 2 as to the side of bar 42 the control panel 16 is mounted on. FIG. 1 is the preferred embodiment.) Reading from left to right on control panel 16, valve 102 controls the pressure to foot pressure cylinder 50, valve 104 controls the pressure to tilting cylinder 64, and valve 106 controls the pressure to both upper horizontal cylinder 84 and lower horizontal cylinder 88. If a valve is turned beyond the “off” position, pressure will be released from the associated cylinder; if the valve is turned in the opposite direction, more pressure will be applied to the associated cylinder.

[0023] Since all four cylinders used in this invention are single-acting, i.e. if pressure is introduced at one end of the cylinder, an internal piston is driven toward the opposite end of the cylinder, the amount of pressure applied to a piston is determined by the three valves on control panel 16. A pressure gauge, associated with each valve, is inserted into the tube between each valve and its associated cylinder: gauge 108 measuring pressure in foot pressure cylinder 50, gauge 110 measuring pressure in tilting cylinder 64, and gauge 112 measuring the pressure in the combination of upper and lower horizontal cylinders 84 and 88 respectively.

[0024] Pressurized air is introduced to bench 10 through air inlet 120 as shown in FIG. 1 and led through a tube (not shown) to accumulator bottles 40. Tubes (not shown) are then led from accumulator bottles 40 to each of the three valves: valves 102, 104, and 106 respectively. The output of each of these valves is led by pressure tubes 114 (shown for some cylinders in FIG. 1) to one end of the four cylinders: foot pressure cylinder 50, tilting cylinder 64, and both upper horizontal cylinder 84 and lower horizontal cylinder 88 respectively. Gauges 108, 110, and 112 then monitor the pressure in the tubes 114 between the three valves and these three destinations (four cylinders).

[0025] Knee belt 122 best seen in FIG. 2, seat belt 124 best seen in FIG. 3, and upper chest belt 126 best seen in FIG. 10 hold a person against bench 10 as bench 10 is being used.

[0026] In operation, pneumatic assisted exercise bench 10 is pivoted on wheels 32 and moved to a position clear of obstructions and then set upright on a floor as shown in FIG. 1. Then knob 20 is used to adjust the length of adjustable bar 18. Adjustable riser 24 is then adjusted in height so that bar 42 (together with seat 46) is in the correct position for the upcoming exercises. Leverage arm 66 is adjusted with knob 68 to be of the correct length for the amount of tilt of tilting mechanism 14 desired for these same exercises. Air from an external air compressor is then connected to air inlet 120 so as to pressurize accumulator bottles 40.

[0027] Once a person is setting on seat 46, adjustable slider 74 is moved to be across a person's back and tightened in place on parallel rods 72 using handle 76. In a somewhat similar manner cervical slider 78 is moved along parallel rods 72 to be at the height of a person's head. Cervical slider 78 is also tightened in place by handle 80.

[0028] The person is then strapped to the pneumatic assisted exercise bench 10 using the three belts. Knee belt 122 is tightened across their knees by attaching the knee belt to brackets 52, seat belt 124 is secured to seat belt brackets 36, and upper chest belt 126 is secured to brackets 77.

[0029] The person, while seated on bench 10, can then control pressures entering all the cylinders by using valves 102, 104, and 106 and monitoring the pressure on their respective pressure gauges: gauges 108, 110, and 112 respectively. If a valve is turned beyond the “off” position, pressure will be released from the associated cylinder; if a valve is turned in the opposite direction, more pressure will be applied to the associated cylinder.

[0030] The person then pushes against the pressure of foot truck 48 (the person's feet being pushed toward his body), tilting cylinder 64 (the person's waist being bent), pelvic pad 92 (pushing against the person's lower back), upper and lower horizontal cylinders 84 and 88 (pushing the person's head forward while his upper back is held tight). This pushing helps to isolate and strengthen certain muscle groups and also provides assistance in performing certain exercises to improve posture.

[0031] While the fundamental novel features of the invention have been shown and described, it should be understood that various substitutions, modifications and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, all such modifications or variations are included in the scope of the invention as described by the following claims: 

I claim:
 1. An exercise bench comprising: an assembly adapted to pneumatically assist a user when exercising muscle groups. 